Japan sets date for asteroid ‘rock grab’

Image caption
Artwork: Hayabusa2 arrived at the asteroid Ryugu in June last year

The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 will attempt to collect a sample of rock from an asteroid on 22 February, the country’s space agency (Jaxa) says.

Hayabusa 2 reached asteroid Ryugu in June 2018 after a three-and-a-half-year journey from Earth.

It will descend to the surface and attempt to grab the sample from a pre-chosen site.

The spacecraft will return to Earth with the samples in 2020 after its exploration of Ryugu is complete.

Jaxa officials had to delay the touchdown last October, after they found the asteroid’s surface was more rugged than expected.

During sample collection, the spacecraft will approach the 1km-wide asteroid with an instrument called the sampler horn. On touchdown, a 5g projectile made of the metal tantalum is fired into the rocky surface at 300m/s.

The particles kicked up by the impact will be caught by a specially-designed section of the sampler horn.

Hayabusa 2 will begin descending to the surface on 21 February (local time) and should touch down around 08:00 on the 22nd.